How to Work Remotely - Robin Morton | Crew Mama Blog | With this pandemic going on, we’re all adjusting and trying to get comfortable turning our homes into a personal office. For some of our production coordinators, they’re used to morphing their homes into a safe work environment. We talked to our very own production coordinator, Robin Morton, to hear her thoughts on how to make working from home an easier transition.
After our family moved from Charleston in 2007 I stayed connected with my friends and colleagues, Patrick and Shawn. Go To Team was growing and I was able to sub in and freelance from time to time. I officially started working from home part time in 2014 and it quickly grew to full time.
I knew the company culture from the years I worked in the office and was confident I could bring that same attitude and work ethic from my home base. The tricky part was explaining my role to our young kids. I didn't want our clients or crews to know I wasn't working from the main office. Never wanted to let them hear kids playing or possibly arguing in the background. There were times I took phone calls in my car as it was the quietest place I could find to talk. It took some time for me to build the perfect office space. I quickly learned never to work at the kitchen table because the opportunity to snack all day long is hard to resist. Also any family member that walked through assumed you were not busy. There was a short time I had a work desk set up in our bedroom. I quickly realized that did not create enough separation. It caused me to think about work while trying to fall asleep at night. Finally, I had a room with a door that I could call my office! Walking through that door allowed me to transition from work to home and vice versa.
I built the office space to mimic what my colleagues in the office use. If they had 2 computer screens so did I. It was important to have the same efficiencies. I'd say the most important piece of equipment was to have a separate laptop to be able to video in to the office. Daily video communication was key to feeling part of the team and maintaining relationships.
Working from home allows great flexibility. I'm home in case of a delivery or if something needs to be repaired. But typically I avoid distractions, I'm strict about not multitasking. Sure I could run a load of laundry but I wouldn't do that if I was working at an office. To stay focused I schedule home projects / chores for outside normal business hours.
A few times a year I get the opportunity to travel to the office and be in the same room. Lucky that the office is situated in beautiful Charleston, SC. It's absolutely necessary to have lunch with your coworkers even if you work remotely!
The biggest tip is creating a schedule or routine. Part of that routine should include something to do outside the home. I'd recommend finding an opportunity to establish yourself as part of your community. I got a lot of value from volunteering at my kids' school and committing to go to the gym everyday.If you have an upcoming shoot coming up during this pandemic, give us a call. We are open and here for you. We might be remote, but we are still available for those pop up shoots (and safety comes first so precautions are put into place). Stay safe everyone!
